Hundreds of religions around the world teach creation stories which account for the diversity of life on Earth. The theory of evolution is also a popular belief, particularly among scientists.
In North America, beliefs regarding the origins of the origins of species of plant and animal life mostly fall into three general categories. Starting with the most popular:
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Creation science: God created the universe during 6 consecutive 24 hour days less than 10,000 years ago, precisely as a one of the literal interpretations of the Biblical book of Genesis would indicate. All of the various species of plants and animals that currently exist (and that once existed but are now extinct) on earth are descendants of the original life forms that God created during the single week of creation. This is the most popular belief system among the general public. It is the least popular among earth and biological scientists. Over 99% of such scientists believe that a literal translation of Genesis does not represent reality, and thus that creation science is false.. |
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Theistic evolution: (a.k.a. process creation, and multiple creation.) This is similar to naturalistic evolution. The universe is believed to be about 14 billion years old; the earth is over 4 billion years old. However, most theistic evolutionists believe that God created the first one-celled animal. Species developed from that source in increasing complexity as observed by science. Followers of this belief system state that new species evolve by natural processes. God is seen as performing a supervisory function, intervening as needed, nudging evolution to make certain that it progresses in the right direction. These beliefs are common among mainline and liberal Christian faith groups. |
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Scientific view: Evolution was driven by blind, unguided natural forces without a goal. If God exists, he played no part in the processes. If all life were to be wiped off of the face of the Earth -- not that remote a possibility with the Earth's current levels of religious hatred and supply of nuclear weapons -- and life were to start over, there is absolutely no certainty that intelligent beings would evolve. If they did, there is no certainty that they would look much like homo sapiens. |
One might expect a gradual increase in support for the creationist view, because of the increasing percentage of older Americans -- the Baby Boomers born shortly after World War II. People tend to be more committed to religion with age. However, support for creationism seems to be stagnant, not growing.
There may be a slight increase in beliefs in naturalistic evolution in recent years. gyms brisbane | married dating site | dating sites reviews |